A DANGEROUS driver who killed a teenage pedestrian will serve an extra six weeks behind bars after top judges rejected his appeal as 'hopeless'.

Anthony Lee Robinson was speeding in his black BMW when he mounted the kerb and ploughed into 18-year-old Gerwyn Allan Osborne-Flanagan, killing him instantly.

The 30-year-old, of Lansbury Avenue, Cefn Hengoed, Caerphilly, was found guilty of causing Gerwyn's death by dangerous driving at Newport Crown Court in October last year.

He was jailed for five years and banned from driving for six, and will have to retake his test before he can get a licence.

Robinson challenged both his conviction and his sentence at London's Criminal Appeal Court, but a judge threw out his complaints, saying they were 'totally without merit'.

Lady Justice Macur ordered him to spend an extra six weeks in prison for pursuing the appeals when he had already been warned against it by another judge.

Relatives of Gerwyn wept in the public gallery as the judge gave her decision.

The judge told the court the teenager was walking along Hengoed Avenue, Caerphilly, shortly before 1pm on 28 September 2013, when he was struck from behind by Robinson's BMW.

One witness described how the impact was so severe that the youngster was thrown into the air 'like a doll'. He died instantly.

Robinson was driving faster than the road's 30mph speed limit and his two nearside wheels had mounted the pavement just before Gerwyn was hit.

He carried on driving on the pavement for a few metres before coming to a stop.

The trial judge found that, while he had not been using his mobile phone, something had distracted him in the seconds before the crash.

Robinson denied driving dangerously and tried to blame Gerwyn - claiming the teenager had either stepped out, or fallen, into the road - but he was convicted by the jury.

His lawyers argued his conviction was 'unsafe' because the trial judge misdirected the jury on the law regarding dangerous driving.

They also said his sentence was over the top, claiming the judge was wrong to find that he was distracted when there was no evidence to suggest he was doing anything to divert his attention from the road.

But, dismissing both appeals, Lady Justice Macur said they were 'totally without merit' and that the judge had emphasised to the jury what they needed to be sure of to convict him.

Sitting with Mr Justice Supperstone and Mr Justice Leggatt, she added: "We see nothing wrong with the sentence imposed by the judge, which was appropriate in this case.

"We conclude that he showed mercy in not increasing the sentence by reason of the continued blame placed upon the deceased young man and the lack of remorse shown.

"In the circumstances, it is right that this particular appellant should have an order made against him."